July-August 2021

New NHEG Heights Magazine Educational | July - August Group 2021
www.NewHeightsEducation.org
From this perspective, forgetting is not necessarily a failure of memory. Rather, it may represent an investment in a more optimal mnemonic
strategy.
It is true that repetition can help with memory retention. However, if that specific memory is not recalled, it is eventually forgotten. Further
research from Bacon and Stewart studied individual students for up to two years following course completion. They concluded that most of the
knowledge gained during the course was lost within two years.
It is clear that the current system is generally based upon memory—who can memorize the most information to prepare for the test. Is this
really arming kids with the tools they need for adulthood?
Potential Solutions
One potential solution for education would be to start “formal” schooling at age seven. Research from the University of Cambridge concludes
that there are benefits of later starts to formal education. This evidence relates to the contribution of playful experiences to children’s development
as learners and the consequences of starting formal learning at the age of four to five years of age.
There also needs to be a reduction in the level of testing. We have developed a system whereby teachers have a strong incentive to “teach to
test.” It’s about memorizing as much information as possible rather than learning how to think.
As data on the unintended consequences
of pandemic policy becomes
Furthermore, the testing culture is putting a strain on both teachers’ and students’ mental health. Test results are the be-all and end-all. It is
gloomier, policy makers are
for that reason that many teachers are already leaving the profession. Reforming this testing culture would not only beginning reduce to acknowledge teacher and tradeoffs. student
stress but also relieve teacher turnover rates.
Thirdly, school vouchers are a viable option. There are already a number of states that have experimented with this. Mostly, there has been
large success across the board. The benefits of school choice are widely documented. The vast majority of existing studies find positive effects.
Not only are test scores improved, but graduation rates and civic engagement are also enhanced.
Source: The Foundation for Economic Education (FEE)
https://fee.org/
Virtue, Not Virtue Signaling: Grammy-Winning Pop Singer
Unveils Plan to Open Free Private Schools for
Underprivileged Kids
By Brad Polumbo
Tuesday, June 8, 2021
More celebrities should back up their
rhetoric with this kind of tangible action.
Most of the time celebrities wade into political terrain these days, all they offer is cheap virtue-signaling or preening condescension. So it’s
nice to see a Grammy-winning artist putting his money where his mouth is—and actually taking action to help children failed by the public
school system.
Popstar Pharrell Williams, known for hits like “Happy,” just unveiled plans to launch a series of nonprofit private schools in Norfolk, Virginia,
specifically designed to provide tuition-free education to children from low-income families.
“If the system is fixed and unfair, then it needs to be broken,” Williams said. “We don’t want lockstep learning where so many kids fall behind;
we want bespoke learning designed for each child, where the things that make a child different are the same things that will make a child rise
up and take flight.”
“Bespoke learning” is exactly what students don’t get from our one-size-fits-all government schooling system.
It’s heartwarming to see real action being taken. Here are some details about the school Williams and his collaborators plan to open.
“The first school will open this fall in Ghent... for students in the city in grades three through five,” the Virginian-Pilot reports. “The new school’s
curriculum will have a heavy emphasis on STEAM — science, technology, engineering, art and math. Collaboration and hands-on learning will
be emphasized. The school will initially enroll between 40 and 50 students. Though admission is open to eligible third, fourth and fifth graders,
the school doesn’t plan to have grade-level cohorts. Instead, students will be grouped by skill level.”
Of course, we’ll have to wait and see just how effective Williams’ school will prove to be for students. But by empowering families with more
options, this small but meaningful development will undoubtedly improve the odds of participating students who will no longer be trapped in a
failing, one-size-fits-all system.
Here’s hoping that other vocal celebrity proponents of education reform also back up their rhetoric with this kind of tangible action.
Like this story? Click here to sign up for the FEE Daily and get free-market news and analysis like this from Policy Correspondent Brad Polumbo
in your inbox every weekday.
Source: The Foundation for Economic Education (FEE)
https://fee.org/
100 100 101
101